Elizabeth Pulanco / Winonan

Imagine getting a second chance at life. In historian Howard Zinn’s play, “Marx in Soho,” philosopher Karl Marx makes a deal with the leaders of the afterlife for a chance to clear his name, but instead of returning him to his former meeting place of London, he is sent to Soho in New York to make his case for redemption.

Winona State University invited actor Bob Weick to perform Zinn’s one-man show in the Somsen Hall Auditorium on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Weick has been performing the show for 10 years and last performed on campus three years ago.

Sociology professor Craig Upright was involved in bringing the production back to Winona and is excited to introduce the play to a new group of students.

“Most students, like the public at large, have a cursory understanding of what Marx was trying to accomplish,” Upright said. “This play was written by Howard Zinn in an attempt to bring more context to his life and his writings.”

During his life, Marx wrote about socialism and communism. According to Rafael Narvaez, also a sociology professor at Winona State, Marx’s writings are still important for discussion.

“People still teach Marx today because he made huge and numerous mistakes, but there he is still relevant today,” Narvaez said. “He anticipated many things, including the environmental concerns we have today.”

After seeing the show when it first came to Winona State, Upright would discuss performance with his students and used it as a way to talk more about Marx’s work in his classes.

“For the first two years [after the show was performed], I would often ask my students if they had seen it, many said they had and were able to describe what Marx was able to accomplish much better to myself and to their fellow students,” Upright said.

Since many of those students have graduated, Upright believes it is time for a refresher course.

When Weick brought the show to Winona State three years ago, 650 individuals from the university and Winona community came to see the production, according to Upright.

“I was pleased with the attention that the audience members gave to the performance, and I credit that both to the power of Zinn’s writing and the skill of the performer Bob Weick,” Upright said. “He really draws you in and it feels like Marx is actually talking to you.”

Weick’s appearance, which is similar to Marx, also adds to the show, making it seem like the audience is sitting in front of the man himself.

“As a historian, [Howard Zinn] has an attention for the historical details and the actor is a natural; he even looks like Marx,” Narvaez said.

Both Narvaez and Upright invited their students and other members of the community to see the production and learn more about Marx and his body of work.

The goal of bringing the production back to Winona State is to continue expanding the minds of students and to get them thinking about the world around them.

“I hope that it will spark discussion and lead to a greater understanding of Marx’s life and his life work,” Upright said. “Our country is still dealing with many issues of inequality and Marx’s writings provide another perspective for thinking about the challenges we face, and the strategies for addressing these issues.”

-By Elizabeth Pulanco